As a kid growing up in FL, with no pro baseball team in the entire state, I found myself rooting for the next closest team to me (geographically speaking) — the Atlanta Braves. And, yes, it was during the “lean years” of basement-dwelling in the NL West (anybody see the need for realignment here?) before the arrival of Bobby Cox as manager (for the second go-around), John Schuerholz as GM, and the ultimate ‘savior’ of the organization, Chipper Jones as the stalwart of the left corner of the infield. You know, the time when Dale Murphy was constantly swinging at those low-and-away-out-of-the-strike-zone fastballs and still leading the NL in homeruns — ultimately winning back-to-back MVPs in 1982-1983. When the other most recognizable players on the team were Bob Horner, Phil Niekro, and Bruce Sutter. And who can forget the mascot-of-the-era Chief Noc-A-Homa?

Well, nostalgia and reminiscing aside, with the retirement of Bobby Cox as the Braves’ skipper at the end of this season, I thought it would be nice to look at what made Cox a successful leader. Here are a few things I have noticed about Bobby Cox in the last 25+ years as a Braves fan:

1 – He had vision (seeing the possibilities)
Cox took over as Braves manager at a time when the team was in last place — every season! Yet, he didn’t focus on what was, he focused on what could be. He saw the current and future potential of the team and he already knew where he wanted to take them. He saw when others didn’t see; he saw more than others saw; he saw before anyone else saw. He had vision.

2 – He displayed leadership (making the decisions)
Once he had established and communicated his vision, Cox began taking steps and making strides toward accomplishing that vision — he put feet to what he saw. There were difficult decisions that had to be made — like trading away fan-favorite Dale Murphy to the Philadelphia Phillies. But Cox made the difficult decisions because he had a vision and did what it took to accomplish that vision.

3 – He was loyal (sticking up for the team)
No manager in the history of Major League Baseball has been ejected from more games than Bobby Cox. I guess you could say he is loyal to a fault. But that loyalty has gained him a clubhouse full of players who are loyal right back. They know Cox has their back and so they work as hard as they can to accomplish his vision and follow his leadership. They may not always agree with his decisions, but they trust his judgment — which has brought a Major League record 14 straight division titles and a World Series championship.